one piece: gene extraction and fusion system-Chapter 324: Rise of the Black Emperor

Saya's head was pinned down by Mio and slammed hard into the ground, sinking deep into the cracked earth.

Then, Mio held Raikiri in his right hand, a sneer curling his lips. He pointed the blade's tip at Saya's head and drove it down without hesitation. Armament Haki instantly surged over Raikiri.

"No, no, get away from me!"

Feeling death looming over him, Saya struggled violently, fearfully roaring as the demonic flames on his body erupted. But Mio calmly coated his entire body in Armament Haki, resisting the demonic fire and continuing the fatal strike.

Puff.

The sound pierced the battlefield.

Saya's pupils contracted sharply. His eyes widened in disbelief, as if unable to accept that this was the place where his life would end. But the light in his eyes quickly faded.

When Mio stood back up, the demonic flames on his body had vanished. Saya's corpse was turning cold.

Raikiri remained deeply embedded in Saya's heart, blood soaking the earth beneath them.

"Congratulations on collecting the pirate (devil) gene!"

A prompt flashed across Mio's system panel.

Asuka, standing nearby, looked at Saya's lifeless body at Mio's feet and smiled sweetly. He raised his Seven Star Sword high, and a scarlet blood mist erupted from his body. Carried by a gust of wind, it swept across the pirates who had once served Saya.

Instantly, a maddening gleam appeared in their eyes. A scarlet light shimmered within, and their expressions twisted into bloodthirsty grins.

But their gaze remained locked on Asuka—awaiting his command.

"Die as an offering for Sir's coronation!" Asuka laughed and swung his Seven Star Sword downward.

Under the influence of the blood mist, the pirates broke into insane grins. Without hesitation, they raised their weapons—then plunged them into their own bodies.

Puff. Puff. Puff.

The gruesome sounds of suicide rang out in chilling unison.

Blood quickly flooded the battlefield. One pirate after another fell, still smiling madly. Life drained from their bodies. Nearly a hundred thousand pirates, all under Asuka's control, died by their own hands before Mio.

"Hahahahaha! The boss is emperor now!" Katsumata Takeru roared in excitement, slaying the last enemy nearby. His blood-soaked face glowed with elation.

"As expected of you, sir," Erica said with a proud smile.

Boom!

The earth quaked as Noah smashed his fist into the ground. Cracks spread in all directions, sending pirates toppling into the abyss below.

"Truly something worth celebrating," Noah grinned, narrowing his eyes joyfully.

"Olive," Mio called out with a smirk.

"My lord." Olive stepped forward, knelt on one knee before Mio, head bowed, awaiting instructions.

"Go. Take over all of Saya's territory. Anyone who resists—kill them." Mio's voice was cold and resolute, laced with killing intent.

"Yes!" Olive nodded, excitement lighting her features. She stood up and led Katsumata Takeru and the others onto ships, setting sail toward various islands under Saya's control to seize them by force.

One pirate ship after another set off.

In the distance, even the warships of the Navy didn't move to intercept them. They simply watched.

"Did that guy Saya really just die like that?!" Akainu's tone held a trace of disbelief.

"A strange ability... if you or I fought him, we'd easily fall into danger," Aokiji said solemnly.

He stared at Mio with a mixture of wariness and awe.

"Report, Admiral Aokiji, Admiral Akainu. The pirates under the Black Crow are setting sail. Should we intercept them?" A Navy soldier rushed over, saluting and awaiting orders.

Akainu shook his head. "No need."

Though he hated pirates with a passion and wished to eradicate them all, he wasn't a fool.

Right now, the Black Crow Pirates were fully intact—Mio himself remained battle-ready, and their forces were still formidable. The Navy presence here wasn't sufficient to win a direct confrontation. If they attacked, they might suffer catastrophic losses.

The soldier saluted again and withdrew.

The pirate fleet departed unimpeded.

Meanwhile, Mio withdrew Raikiri with a clang, then turned his gaze toward Big Mom's battle with Poken. Every collision between the two titans unleashed shockwaves that shattered the air and cracked the ground.

The island was fracturing. It wouldn't hold much longer.

Mio casually wiped the blood off Raikiri's blade, glanced toward the distant ships, sneered, and sat cross-legged on the ground, calmly watching the ongoing clash.

Leave?

No. He had no intention of leaving yet.

Not until he obtained Poken's gene.

And he wouldn't interfere with Big Mom's battle. Helping her now would only provoke her wrath. In the game of emperor ascension, no outsider could meddle.

Just then—

A figure approached from the distance, arms stacked with boxes.

He arrived before Mio, bowed respectfully, and said, "Lord Black Crow, this is your reward. My mother instructed me to deliver it after your battle ended."

He opened the boxes—inside were devil fruits.

"Yeah." Mio nodded, then gestured.

Warwick immediately stepped forward and began storing the devil fruits.

Far away, telescopes tracked every move. The observers saw the devil fruits and immediately began speculating.

"So Black Crow really did come to ally with Big Mom... She even gave him five devil fruits?"

"This changes everything. Two Emperors will rise today."

"Why isn't Black Crow leaving? What's he waiting for?"

The debates continued endlessly.

Meanwhile,

Across the world—

On every island, in every town, every kingdom...

On merchant ships, pirate ships, Marine warships...

Even on the ships of the Celestial Dragons...

In every populated corner of the seas, shadowy newspaper boys emerged, hawking the latest headline with fervor.

The front page was bold and unmistakable:

[New World's New Emperor — The Rise of the Black Crow Pirates!!]

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